


How to hear her heartbeat

by TacticalCupcakes



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 05:32:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17781497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TacticalCupcakes/pseuds/TacticalCupcakes
Summary: Monika is bitter about not having a special someone whilst being surrounded by couples. Sayori notices, and decides to try and cheer her up.A prequel of sorts to another story I wrote titled "Monika Writes a Fanfic".





	How to hear her heartbeat

Just like any other day, Monika sat by herself at the cafe table, nursing a lukewarm cup of cheap coffee. It wasn’t that she was unpopular; far from it, really. She was, however, stuck with the worst aspects of such a claim.

Considered by many to be the most beautiful, charismatic, and intelligent girl amongst her peers, it might come as a surprise to learn of Monika’s predicament. There was one thing that she had failed to account for though.

In her pursuit of companionship, she attempted to follow any possible path that would make her more desirable. Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect; she’d done  _too_  well, leaving others intimidated by her successes. No one felt like they could compare to her, and as such didn’t think they’d be worthy of her time or attention.

Understandably, this made Monika feel incredibly lonely, especially during this time of year. Normally she’d at least be able to count on the other members of the literature club she ran, but they all had other plans. With  _eachother_ , no less. Although she was happy for them, she couldn’t deny it hurt a bit every time she saw them. She knew it wasn’t their fault, but the constant exposure to other people’s bliss was starting to make her as bitter as her coffee.

Letting out a frustrated sigh in the midst of several happy couples, she took a sip from her cup. It barely tasted good enough to convince her to keep drinking it, but the powerful smell helped her stay grounded at the very least.

 _I don’t understand..._  she thought to herself.  _Did I do something wrong? Why can’t... why can’t I be the special one for once?_

She finished her coffee, and unceremoniously tossed it into a nearby rubbish bin. Sufficiently caffeinated, she prepared to spend another few eternal hours in the midst of everyone else’s romantic escapades.

Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to her, someone has been eavesdropping and heard of Monika’s plight.

...

“Okay, Everyone! It’s time to share poems!”

Monika had gotten exceptionally skilled at masking her mood when it came to matters of the heart. Although she was certainly somewhat envious of the other members of her club, she managed to maintain her typical air of professionalism.

_I don’t need anyone else anyway. I’ve gotten this far by myself, haven’t I? I don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy._

She chuckled wryly to herself, watching everyone else share with their partners.  _Yeah, I might not need it, but..._

Glancing down at the piece she’d written for today, she massaged her temples, hoping her words would save her from the lack of affection in her life.

Just then, she was interrupted by a light knocking on her desk.

“Hey, Monika!”

Looking up, Monika met the eyes of her Vice President: a whimsical girl of peplum twirls and Cinnamon Swirls.

“Hi, Sayori!” She grinned, “What can I do for you?”

“Y’know, you don’t have to be so formal  _all_  the time,” Sayori giggled bashfully, “I know we’re heading this club, but we’re friends first and foremost.”

“I see... well, what’s up?”

“Uh... I just wanted to check in on how you’re doing. You kinda look like you could use a friend. Are you feeling okay?”

_No._

“Psh, what? Of course I am! Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Well...” Sayori paused, gingerly pressing the tips of her fingers together, “I’ve been there. I’ve felt that crushing, icy grip around my heart as I watched those I cared about start to prioritize me less over others. And no one should have to face that.”

_Where’d that come from? Are you sure I shouldn’t be the one checking up on you?_

“Ahaha, it’s really nothing quite like that. Whilst I will admit it would be nice to have a special someone, I don’t have any kind of resentment surrounding that fact.”

“Still...” Sayori sighed like a sighing sighori, “I wanted to see if I could do anything to help out a bit. So I asked Emery if he knew what lonely people do, and he told me they read... uh, novels!”

“Novels?” Monika raised an eyebrow. “Sayori, I already do that.”

“No, but like flashy ones that go  _whoosh_  and  _aaah!_  with animation and sound effects!”

“Oh...” Monika tutted, rolling her eyes. Of course Emery would suggest something like  _that_. “So you want me to play a visual novel?”

“That’s it!” Sayori snaps her fingers. “I know it’s not the same, but it might help you figure out the type of guy or gal you’re into! And it could give you a bit of confidence to ask someone out yourself!”

“At the very least, it’ll give you something to keep your mind off of things.”

Looking into Sayori’s wide eyes, she found it difficult to turn down the suggestion. Although she knew trying to substitute a real relationship with a visual novel wasn’t the best solution, it was clear that Sayori had put thought into it.

“Fine,” Monika blinked, “who knows; there are worse options.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sayori pumped her fist in victory. “Emery told me about one that you’d really like; it’s called  _Beating Hearts Redditor Club!_ ”

_Wow, that name couldn’t sound more cliche if it tried._

“Oh? And what makes you think I’d enjoy that particular one?”

“Ehh... it’s kinda hard to talk about it without spoiling it. But you should go and check it out! There’s this girl in it called TC, and she likes some of the thing you do too!”

“...Okay. It can’t hurt, right?”

_... well, I’m going to spend my Valentine’s Day going through some kind of anime dating game. It’s the kind of thing I would’ve expected from Natsuki, but... I guess it was technically Emery’s suggestion..._

“Let me know what you think! Emery’ll be happy to hear about it too!”

“I’m sure he will.”

_...what have I gotten myself into?_

_I guess we’ll find out tonight..._


End file.
